Grandfather's warning after car rear window is shattered by '˜pot shots'

David Rood, 71, now wants to warn other drivers to be vigilant after he believes his window was smashed by someone shooting an air rifle from a nearby block of flats.

Retired Mr Rood, from Southsea, said: ‘It was just such a shock as we were driving along and suddenly there was an explosion in the car, with glass everywhere.’

The incident happened on Monday, January 30 at approximately 2.30pm while the family were driving round a roundabout, on to Holbrook Road, in Fratton.

Mr Rood’s wife Reena, 51, was in the back seat with their granddaughter Ayana, who was in a car seat.

They say they heard two objects hit their black Mercedes within seconds of each other; one which ricochetted off the bodywork and the other which caused the back window to smash.

They have been unable to find any object that could have caused the damage and Mr Rood says that, from the mark on the car, he believes somebody shot the car with an air rifle from a balcony.

Mr Rood said: ‘I could see where it had hit the car and bounced away. From the trajectory it looks like it came from an angle.

‘I want to let people know that someone could be taking pot-shots at vehicles and they need to be careful. It was very scary.’

Luckily, nobody in the car was hurt. Mr Rood’s insurance company has now repaired the damage, but he says this does not compensate them for the shock or the inconvenience.

Mr Rood has reported the matter to the police and he encouraged people to report any incidents, and to come forward with information.

A spokesman from Hampshire Constabulary said the incident was not being linked to any others and that the object that caused the window to smash was not known.

He added: ‘We received a report of a car suffering damage in Portsmouth.

‘The vehicle, a Mercedes, was being driven along Victoria Road North, between the Fratton Bridge roundabout and Holbrook Road roundabout, when it was struck by an unknown object, causing the rear windscreen to smash. The incident took place at around 2.35pm on Monday, January 30.

‘Anyone who witnessed the incident, or has any information to assist, is asked to contact police on 101, quoting 44170037914.’